Chinook Nation looking for support on federal recognition bill

The Chinook Nation of
Washington is hoping to gain more support for federal recognition in Congress.

The tribe was recognized by the Bureau of Indian
Affairs at the end of the Clinton administration in January 2001. But the
decision was reversed by the Bush administration in July 2002, prompting the tribe to go to Congress.

Efforts on Capitol Hill, however, haven't gone very far amid opposition from the Quinault Nation.
The Obama administration's official position has been neutral but tribal leaders hope to change that in the coming year.

"Time and time again, when you tell people we are not federally recognized, their jaws will drop," Vice Chairman Robinson told The Oregonian. "They say they learned about us in the third grade, because we are probably one of the most written-about tribes in the West."